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Dragic getting ready for the season, by not playing

MIAMI (AP) — Goran Dragic usually needs to play in preseason games to get ready for the season.

This year, the Miami point guard needed to not play.

It has been a preseason like none other for Dragic, who spent his summer carrying his native Slovenia to its first European championship and winning MVP honors at that tournament. But it also meant Dragic came back to Miami late last month worn down by the physically and mentally spent from the grind of that tournament, so Heat coach Erik Spoelstra decided to basically not use his starter for most of the preseason.

Dragic didn’t like the idea at first. He knows now that it was the right move.

“I feel like my head is clearing,” Dragic said Wednesday before sitting out Miami’s home preseason game against the Washington Wizards. “I’m OK. Physically, I feel great. Mentally, I’m hungry again for basketball. That’s what we want to achieve and that’s the feeling we want for that first game.”

Dragic hasn’t officially been ruled out for Miami’s preseason finale in Kansas City on Friday against Philadelphia, but he isn’t likely to play.

“The big key is I want him feeling fresh, peaking by Game 1,” Spoelstra said. “He’s in great shape, great spirits and we’ll just keep moving forward.”

Dragic, Miami’s leading scorer last season at just over 20 points per game, expects to be full-go when Miami’s regular season starts Wednesday in Orlando. He said Spoelstra recognized how much the European title run — the emotional toll if nothing else — took out of him.

“I always want to practice and play,” Dragic said. “But sometimes your body or your head doesn’t allow you to do that. He’s good at reading players. He knows what you need. Maybe he saw something that probably was not hard to see. So I crashed a little bit, came back and now it’s on to a new goal here in Miami.”

HORNETS: Michael Carter-Williams (knee) will not be ready for the regular season opener, coach Steve Clifford said. Nic Batum (elbow), Jeremy Lamb (groin) and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (personal) did not play. Rookie Dwayne Bacon went 4 for 4 on 3-pointers, accounting for all 12 of his points.

UP NEXT: Boston (4-0) opens the regular season against Cleveland on Tuesday. Charlotte (1-3) hosts Dallas on Friday.

UP NEXT: Houston (4-0) hosts San Antonio on Friday. Memphis (2-2) hosts New Orleans on Friday.

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TRAIL BLAZERS 113, SUNS 104

Portland’s Caleb Swanigan and Phoenix’s Alex Len were ejected after scuffling under the basket with 9:33 remaining. They got tangled while getting in rebound position, and Len then gave Swanigan a shove in the back before they were separated.

Meyers Leonard made his first five 3-point tries and finished with 17 points for Portland. Josh Jackson had 22 and Mike James added 19 for Phoenix.